


Gavin's Daughter

by RimmieTimmie



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Children, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-13 07:31:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2142441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RimmieTimmie/pseuds/RimmieTimmie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Oxfordshire Council Officials show up at the Rooster Teeth Office, Gavin gets the shock of his life. He's thrown into being a Father, but he'll survive, with the help of the AH crew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oxfordshire Council Visits Austin

The six men sat in their office, all hunched over their screens and speaking into their microphones, fingers relentlessly pounding the buttons on their XBOX controllers. In the land of Achievement City (aka Minecraft), Jack was currently King. The servants’ task? To create King Jack a full suit of Diamond Armour. Ray was leading currently, as he had a Diamond Chestplate. The others were failing miserably, and Michael had been raging about it for the past few minutes. 

“THERE’S NO FUCKING DIAMOND, IT’S ALL GOLD.” Michael raged. 

“Millie always says there’s diamond by lava.” Gavin inputted. 

“THERE’S NO FUCKING LAVA, THOUGH, GAVIN, YOU DUMB FUCK!” Michael shouted.

Ray currently had half a heart of health and was starving to death. With a mighty yell, he jumped into the lava beneath him. When BrownMan tried to swim in lava came up onto the   
screen, the others pestered Ray in confusion.

“Well, I was about to die, so I thought, YOLO, I’m gonna go down in style.” Ray shrugged.

“Ray, you silly sausage, you could have given your pickaxe to me!” Gavin protested. “DAMMIT, IT’S BROKEN”

“What’s broken, Gavin?” Jack asked. 

“My pickaxe, again.” Gavin huffed. 

“It’s stone, dumbass, what do you expect?” Michael laughed. 

“Yeah, well I would have been able to make a gold one if you hadn’t killed me and took all of my ingots!” Gavin replied. 

“You started it in the last round!” Michael insisted.

“Team Nice Dynamite, guys!” Jack insisted.

“SCREW IT!” Michael yelled as a Skeleton shot him to death. 

Gavin squealed loudly all of a sudden as he broke another block of Cobblestone. He ignored the other’s questions as he continued to mine, successfully gaining four diamond ore. 

“Gavin found diamond, let’s all go and kill him.” Geoff announced. 

“Wait a minute…” Ryan stated.

Gavin continued to dig straight down, and within thirty seconds, fell screaming into a pit of lava. The other guys laughed, and Ryan nodded, knowing that they had proven their point. The men continued for another half an hour before Michael finally got all of the armour, presented it to Jack, and won the Tower of Pimps for a week. 

They were just turning their XBOXes off, ready to leave for lunch, when Kara opened the door and came inside the office. 

“Gavin? There’s some people here that want to see you… they’re British.” Kara stated.

“Who is it, Kara?” Gavin replied, confused.

“They won’t tell me. They just say that they’re from Oxfordshire County Council.” Kara shrugged.

“Okay, I’ll be with them in a minute.” Gavin answered, and Kara left the room. 

“Gavin? Who are those people?” Geoff asked. 

“Come with me, please, Geoff.” Gavin requested, a light-hearted smile on his face. 

Geoff nodded, and the two boys left the room. As they walked down the corridor to the Reception, Gavin felt more and more anxious.

“Oxfordshire County Council are the government where I’m from. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s something serious if they’ve come all the way here.” Gavin explained. 

“Whatever it is, Gav, we’ll deal with it.” Geoff said, putting his hand on Gavin’s shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. 

The two men, both of whom were curious and worried, eventually reached the Reception. Sitting in nearby chairs were two people. A man in his forties with a neat black suit on sat in one, and next to him sat a younger woman of around thirty, in a tailored blazer and knee-length fitted dress. They both looked very formal. 

Kara pointed to the two when she saw Gavin and Geoff, and the two men headed over to her. Gavin shook each of their hand. 

“Hello, I’m Gavin Free?” He stated.

“Mr Free, I’m Mellissa Jones, this is James Harrison, we’re from Child Protection Services at Oxfordshire County Council?” The woman spoke.

“Please, I can arrange us to meet somewhere more private.” Geoff stated.

He felt slightly out of place, mainly because Gavin and the other two Brits could all communicate in the same language and dialect, and Geoff was a mildly intoxicated American,   
though it was not obvious to the two officials. Geoff led them to an empty conference room, and the four sat down at a table, with Gavin and Geoff on one side and the officials on the other side. 

“How can I help you?” Gavin asked. 

“Mr Free, we’re here in relation to the passing of Rebecca Thompson.” Mellissa Jones announced. 

“Becky’s dead?” Gavin repeated, paling slightly. 

“She was in a car accident four days ago.” James Harrison added helpfully. 

“I – that’s awful.” Gavin muttered, and they sat in silence for a minute. “Not to be rude, but why are you here?” 

“It’s quite alright, Mr Free. Miss Thompson’s friends tell us that you and her were in a relationship of some sort for a few weeks.” Jones stated.

“Yeah, I mean yes, about a year ago now. Last time I went back to England.” Gavin stated. 

“You entered a sexual relationship with Miss Thompson during your visit to England, did you not?” Harrison questioned. 

“I don’t see what this has to do with…” Geoff stated, seeing that Gavin was becoming embarrassed. 

“Mr-“

“Geoff Ramsey. I’m his boss.” Geoff said.

“Mr Ramsey, this is important, I assure you.” Harrison answered.

“Yes, I was sleeping with Becky.” Gavin said quietly. 

“Mr Free, were you aware that Miss Thompson was pregnant when you left, almost a month after arriving?” Jones asked. 

“N-No. I wasn’t.” Gavin said, shaking his head. “I had no idea.” 

“Well, Rebecca was pregnant. She had a daughter nine months later, called Poppy Free. Your name is on the birth certificate, Mr Free.”

“What? Becky – Becky had my daughter… she never told me. I hadn’t contacted her since.” Gavin said, obviously in shock.

“Miss Thompson had no remaining family, as you are probably aware, Mr Free. Her friends are unable to take Poppy in, and we are very hesitant to put Poppy into care.”

“You want Gavin to take her in?” Geoff questioned, and the two nodded.

Gavin’s head was all over the place. Becky and he had been friends for years, they were having a little fun, and there were no feelings between them. They both knew what they had gone into. Gavin just never thought it would end like this. 

“We’ll give you and your friend some time to talk,” They said. “We’ll be waiting in the Reception.”

The two got up and left, leaving Gavin, who had his head in his hands, alone with Geoff. Gavin was silent for a minute or so, not even looking up to face Geoff. He eventually lifted   
his head from his hands, and Geoff saw that the lad was ghostly pale and shaking. 

“You think this kid is yours?” Geoff asked.

“Yeah. Becky wasn’t one to lie, and throughout the month I was there, we did have a lot…”

“I don’t need to know, man.” Geoff said, shaking his head. 

“What do I do, Geoff?” Gavin sighed. 

“You can either take this kid in, or she can go up for adoption.” Geoff stated.

“No, I can’t let her go up for adoption. The thought of someone else looking after my daughter when I was able to… where are we going to stay?”

“Where you’re staying now, dumbass.” Geoff shrugged.

“That’s a big ask, Geoff. Having me live with you is one thing, but having a baby with me is an entirely different matter.” Gavin said. 

“Let me call Griffon, k?” Geoff said, and Gavin nodded.

Minutes later, Geoff stepped back into the room, and sat down by Gavin, who was taking sips of water from a bottle hastily. 

“Griffon says that we all obviously need to talk, but she agrees with you that the kid needs to stay with you. For the time being, it’s okay. You’re staying where you are.” Geoff   
stated. 

“Thank you.” Gavin said. 

The pair headed down to the Reception, and were told that they would need to fly to England immediately if they were to being the process of changing custody, and that it would probably take a few days. Geoff quickly arranged it with a quick trip to Burnie, when Gavin stopped him. 

“You’ve done enough, Geoff. I can’t ask you to leave here for a few days while I sort out my mess. It’s fine. Stay here, I’ll call you when I have any news, okay?” Gavin said, and Geoff reluctantly nodded, watching his friend leave with the British officials.


	2. A Trip To England

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin has been in England for three days, and finally gains custody of his daughter, taking a trip to see his parents with her after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support this story has had, after only one chapter!

Three days later, Gavin sat in the waiting room of the foster home where his daughter was currently staying, and the lad had never been more exhausted in his life. Endless questions and security checks had taken place, and Gavin felt like he’d never been more examined. He sat here now, anxiously waiting to meet his daughter for the first time.   
He’d learnt several things about her, but he wasn’t allowed to know too much until the Child Protection Services. Now that he had been pretty much cleared, he knew several things: His daughter was called Poppy Rebecca Free, and she was a month old. Gavin knew that Becky’s mum was called Rebecca, hence the middle name. 

It had all happened too soon for Gavin, but there was no backing out for Gavin. He had created this life, and it was his job to look after her as her sole living parent. He must have waited at least half an hour before someone finally came out to meet him. 

“Hi, Mr Free? She’s ready for you.” A kind-faced woman stated, stepping out of the room. 

“Call me Gavin, and thank you.” Gavin replied.

He stood up, wringing his hands nervously, and followed the woman down the corridor. She seemed to sense that he was extremely nervous, and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry if you don’t bond instantly, it’s not true about loving them as soon as they’re born. It takes time, she’ll love you.” The woman stated.

Gavin chuckled nervously and they eventually came to a halt outside a room. They stepped into it, and Gavin saw that it was like a soft play area, though obviously Poppy was too young to use it. A woman sat on a sofa, and in her arms was an awake baby. Gavin walked over to her, and took up the invitation to sit down next to the woman, who was introduced to Gavin as Kayla, Poppy’s social worker. After some more pleasantries, Gavin was asked if he would like to hold Poppy. He just nodded, not being able to speak. 

He reached out and took the small baby into his arms. She had Gavin’s tan skin, and his bright green eyes, with tufts of Becky’s brunette hair. Gavin thought that she was a very cute baby, though he later realised that he was going to be very biased. Poppy looked up at Gavin, attempting to focus her young eyes on him. 

A wide grin broke out on Gavin’s face. “Hello, Poppy, I’m your dad.” He said in a soft voice. Poppy’s eyes could just about focus on him. He reached out to stroke her face, and she gripped hold of one of his fingers, wrapping her whole little hand around his one finger. 

They interacted with each other for a few minutes, before Gavin had to hand her back over to finish the final pieces of paperwork. He was also told that the foster parents wanted to meet him before handing her over.

He went and finished the final paperwork, and had officially gained custody of Poppy Rebecca Free, his daughter. He was then led down to an office room, where a couple in their early sixties sat, waiting patiently. They smiled when they saw him.

The man stood up, and they shook hands. We was about to do the same with the woman when she pulled him into a hug. Gavin chuckled slightly, and gave her a quick hug before sitting down opposite them.

“You’ve met her, then, son?” The man asked. “I’m John, by the way.”

“I’m Gavin, and yes, she’s… she’s amazing.” Gavin said, still finding it hard to believe.

“It’s happened so fast. Are you sure you’re going to be able to cope?” John questioned. 

“I hope I can. I owe it to Poppy. I suppose I have a lot of support back in America.” Gavin said. 

“Do you have a stable job?” John said, and his wife shook her head at him. 

“Ignore John, Gavin, he’s always a little protective over the kids I foster. I’m Marie.” The woman spoke. 

“It’s alright. I’d be more worried if he wasn’t concerned.” Gavin said, and John seemed satisfied. “I have a stable job, yes. I moved over to America for it.”

“She looks like you, Gavin.” Marie announced. “She’s got your eyes.”

“Not my nose, thankfully.” Gavin joked. “She looks like her mother.” 

“Have you got anything set up out there, Gavin? For Poppy, I mean.” Marie asked. 

“I haven’t, unfortunately. The services literally came to work and got me, I was unprepared. I didn’t even know that Poppy existed.” Gavin answered, feeling ashamed, although he   
was never told. “My friend has a eight year old daughter, I think he still has some of her things.” 

“We don’t have much for her, as we’ve only had her for a few days. However, I believe she has some things back home from her Mother and friends. You could go back and get   
them.” John suggested helpfully.

“I think I will go and get some of them. So Poppy’s got some aspect of Becky.” Gavin stated. “I haven’t seen any of our friends since I was last in England, around 10 months ago.”

“Listen, Gavin, you have nothing for Poppy. We’ve got an old car seat you can use for her, until you get some more things. A few spare nappies.” Marie said. “Take them with you, at   
least until you can get some more things.” 

“Thank you.” 

Half an hour later, Gavin was strapping Poppy into the carseat he had been given. He had never done it before, but he quickly got the hang of it. He carried her out to the car he had rented for use while he was here, and managed to secure her. 

As he drove away, he wondered where to go. He had called his parents before, who of course had told him to visit them straight away. He decided to do just so – it was only about 15 miles from the Government building he had been in. 

He pulled up outside, and turned off the engine. He unstrapped himself, jogged around to the other side of the car, and undid Poppy’s seatbelt, though kept her strapped into the carseat. He took her out, closed the car door and locked it. He stepped up to the front door, and rang the doorbell. It opened seconds later.

His mother looked tearful when she saw her son, with a young baby in a carrier. She hugged him, and invited in. He sat down on the sofa, with Poppy’s carseat on the floor next to him. 

His dad went to put the kettle on for a cup of tea, and his mother asked if she could hold Poppy, which of course Gavin agreed to. His mother had worked with children all of her life, and was brilliant with them. 

“She’s gorgeous, Gav.” His mother said. 

“I know.” Gavin replied.

“You look dead on your feet, darling. It’s all happened so quickly. We didn’t even know Becky had a baby, let alone that it was yours.” His mother stated.

“Me either.” Gavin said. “It’s happened very fast. It hasn’t quite hit me yet what I’ve gotten into, but I’m sure it will soon.” 

“It’s not much, but we got some things to start you off.” His father said, coming into the kitchen. 

Gavin looked up to see his dad holding a large box, and in it was baby supplies. Bottles, nappies, clothes, dummies, everything he could need until he got back. He hugged both of his parents, though it was awkward with Poppy in his mother’s arms. 

“Thank you.” Gavin said, smiling in relief. “I have nothing for her.”

“It’ll be alright, Gav.” His mother stated.

When Poppy started to cry, intitial panic set in for Gavin. Why was she crying? Was she sick? Gavin’s mum saw his panicked expression and laughed slightly.

“She’s probably hungry, Gavin. I’ll teach you how to feed her.” His mother announced.

Gavin nodded, and Poppy was handed over to Gavin’s dad whilst his mother grabbed a bottle out of the box, and headed into the kitchen. It was difficult at first, but Gavin soon learned how to make Poppy’s bottle, and they headed back into the lounge. Gavin took Poppy into his arms, and sat down on the sofa. His mother showed him how to hold her, in a strange upright position. Within a few minutes, he was successfully bottle-feeding his daughter for the first time. 

He then learned how to wind Poppy so that she wouldn’t get sick after feeding. After he had finished, he cuddled Poppy, enjoying the time together, and the young baby was soon fast asleep in her father’s arms. 

Gavin let out another smile as he watched his daughter sleeping peacefully. They stayed like that for a few minutes, with Gavin watching his daughter sleep peacefully, and his parents watching proudly as Gavin learned how to look after his child. 

Eventually, Gavin realised that he had nowhere to let Poppy sleep other than in the carseat. His parents also seemed to realise this. 

“Don’t worry, pop her into the carseat, and we’ll go and get a moses basket. You can keep it here for whenever you visit with her.” His mother stated.

Gavin nodded. His mother agreed to stay in with Poppy, and Gavin gently put Poppy into the carseat, but didn’t strap her in. They stated their goodbyes to Mrs Free, and left the   
house in search of Mothercare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realised there's some words you might not understand. Mothercare is the main British place for baby stuff, like cots and carseats. Nappies are Diapers (I think?). Any other words you don't understand (I'm English so I'm going to use them) just comment and I'll try my best to explain them to you.


	3. An Amusing Phonecall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin calls Geoff to chat, and Mrs Free finds her son in a very amusing position.

Gavin had been in England for a week now, and had been looking after Poppy for three days, with the help of his parents. He was exhausted, to say the least, as Poppy wasn’t great at sleeping through the night, though she did a whole lot of it in the day. 

Gavin had called home twice, but had not managed to have much of a conversation, thanks to his now-sleeping daughter. Gavin decided that Poppy was fast asleep, and as his parents had gone out food shopping, that it was probably a good idea to call home now. He pulled out his phone and pressed Geoff’s number. 

“Hey, Gav.” Geoff said, answering after a few rings.

“Hi Geoff.” Gavin said. “How are things back in Austin?” 

“They’re good! We’re all missing you.” Geoff said. “How are you and Poppy?” 

“We’re good. Well, she’s fast asleep right now, so I thought now would be a good time to call.” Gavin stated.

“Gav, mate, not to rush you, but I need to know when you’re coming back, ‘cause the fans are getting a little suspicious that you’ve rushed off to England with no reasoning for a week, and your social media is dead.” Geoff said, sounding guilty even as he said it. 

“I know, I know. Hold on a sec…” Gavin pulled up his tablet and searched for flights to Austin. “There’s a flight in two days… I can make that one, I guess.” 

“I don’t want to hurry you buddy.” Geoff said. 

“No, I don’t think I can take living with my parents much longer.” Gavin laughed. “My mum’s great with Poppy but it’s driving me mad. Plus she keeps waking them up, which makes me feel bad.”

“How are you holding up, man? How many hours of sleep have you gotten?” Geoff asked.

“Um, I got about three last night.” Gavin said.

“Not great, I think Griffon and I got about four on average from Millie, but she’s lazy.” Geoff said. “She’s been asking where you’ve gone.” 

“What did you tell her?” Gavin asked. 

“The truth. That you’ve got a baby and you’re bringing her home soon.” Geoff said simply. “Millie knows when you’re lying, dumbass.”

“Yeah she does.” Gavin laughed. “Okay, I’ve booked a flight for Friday. It lands at 2:30pm.” 

“I’ll come pick you up.” Geoff said. 

“Geoff?” Gavin asked, his voice suddenly quiet. “Can you please do me a massive favour?” 

“Sure, Gavin.” Geoff replied. 

“Can you please get me some supplies for when I get there. A nappy or something. I picked up a lot of her clothes from Becky’s friends, but I don’t even have a cot for her. Mum’s  
got a Moses basket for when she stays here, but I can’t get it on the plane, obviously. Can you please take me to get a cot?”

“Gav, don’t be a dick. You’re gonna have jetlag, and you’re already exhausted. I’ll pull Millie’s old cot down for the time being, and you can sleep when you get here. Griffon and I will look after Poppy. We can go shopping on the weekend and get you properly kitted out. Well, I’m rubbish at that shit, but Griffon can help you.” Geoff laughed. 

“Thanks, Geoff. For everything. I know I’ve had a week off and all out of the blue, and I have loads of work to catch up on…” Gavin said, trailing off.

“Gavino, stop being an ass. We’re offering our help. Caleb and Lindsay have been helping out with your editing, and Kerry has been in some Let’s Plays for a while. You’re legally entitled to maternity leave ‘cause you’re the only parent.” Geoff said. 

“Honestly, Geoff, I don’t know what I want to do. Right now, I want to sleep.” Gavin said. “Why people choose to become parents is beyond me.” 

“It gets better, buddy. Just wait until she’s teething.” Geoff laughed, remembering when Millie was teething and pulling a face. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen four grown men look so excited.”

“What are they excited over?” Gavin asked in confusion. 

“You coming back with Poppy, you asshole. We haven’t even seen a picture of her.” Geoff laughed. 

“I’ll send you one later, when I haven’t got baby sick on me. Mmh, I need a shower but I don’t think I can move. Too much effort.” Gavin whined.

“God, Gav, get some sleep, take a shower. I’ll pick you up at half two on Friday.” Geoff laughed. “I’ll see you then. SLEEP!” 

Geoff hung up the phone, and sighed. He looked over to Poppy, who was still fast asleep, looking adorably cute. Gavin closed his eyes, and was asleep in seconds. When Mr and Mrs Free came in an hour and a half later, they entered the living room to an adorable sight. Fast asleep on the sofa, snoring softly, was their son, Gavin. In the Moses Basket next to him was their 5 week old granddaughter, also fast asleep. Mrs Free took out her phone, and took a picture of the two. Not only did she set it as her phone background, she sent it to Geoff, before leaving to go into the conservatory, attempting to be as quiet as possible. 

Geoff was sitting filming a Let’s Play GTA V with the other guys when his phone buzzed. He was King Geoff, so he had time to take it out and read it. He saw that it was from Gavin’s mother. He had her number in case of an emergency, but her text message made him laugh. 

“Hey, guys, pause a sec.” Geoff ordered, and they all paused their games and recordings. “Look at this.” 

Geoff pulled up the picture, laughing at it, and passed his phone around for all of the other guys to see. They all laughed at it, and when Caleb and Lindsay came in looking for footage, they too laughed at the picture, though Lindsay found it more adorable. 

“I bet he’s exhausted.” Lindsay said. “How old is she?” 

“Five weeks, I think.” Geoff replied.

Geoff had told Gavin’s friends most of the story. He had a baby daughter in England that he didn’t know about, and circumstances had meant that he needed to look after her, so he was staying there for a few days and then bringing her back. They knew that she was called Poppy, too, though none of them had seen a picture of her until now. They still couldn’t see what she looked like clearly, as Mrs Free’s phone had a terrible camera and the photo was more of Gavin than Poppy.

“When’s he coming back?” Michael asked.

“His plane lands Friday afternoon. He’s not coming in though, all the jetlag and that. The asshole wanted to come into work. I told him he’s sleeping and me and Griffon are taking care of the baby.” Geoff stated.

“It’s a good idea.” Ryan said. “We were shattered after Eli.”

“Anyway, he said he’s going to sleep and then have a shower. He smells like baby sick, apparently.” Geoff said, and everyone else laughed. “He’s gonna send us a proper picture tonight. Back to work, assholes.” 

They all nodded, and began recording again. 5000 miles away, Gavin free was waking up to the cries of his five week old daughter, Poppy Free. He quickly changed her nappy, and sat down on the sofa with her, signing her a song in a very off-key tune.


	4. Back To Austin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin settles Poppy into Austin, with the help of Griffon and Geoff.

Gavin had sat with a sleeping Poppy for most of the plane, and when she had awoken during the landing, he had managed to soothe her, apologising to the people surrounding him. He had eventually put a dummy in her mouth, and rocked her until she fell back asleep. 

He headed off the plane, through security, and towards the baggage collection point. He had two suitcases. His own (which had been hastily packed) and Poppy’s, which was a tiny one that his mum had bought and packed with all of Poppy’s clothes in it.

Geoff waited patiently for any signs of Gavin exiting the arrivals corridor. His plane had been delayed, though he was due to appear any second. He eventually saw him coming out of the corridor. Geoff rushed over to help Gavin: He had two suitcases being dragged by one hand, Poppy’s carseat was in the other and there was a baby bag on his shoulder. 

Gavin put down his suitcase and Poppy’s, and gave Geoff a quick hug. Geoff bent down to look at Poppy, who was fast asleep in her carrier. Geoff noticed that Gavin did not in fact smell of baby sick anymore. 

“She’s cute, buddy.” Geoff chuckled. “You need a hand?” he asked, indicating to the two suitcases and baby surrounding them. 

“If you wouldn’t mind.” Gavin replied, smiling tiredly. “He bent down to take hold of the brightly-coloured miniature suitcase and dropped the baby bag. “Ah, you smeg pot!” Gavin cursed, and Geoff laughed. 

“Calm down buddy, I’ve got it.” 

Geoff picked up the large suitcase and the baby bag, which was thankfully a basic black bag. The two quickly headed back over to Geoff’s car, and unloaded the suitcases into the car. Gavin strapped Poppy into the back, and they set off. 

“We’re all happy you’re back, Gav.” Geoff said. 

“I’m happy to be back. It’s about fourty degrees warmer here.” Gavin laughed. 

“Fair enough,” Geoff stated. “The guys wanted to see you, but I told them you were going to sleep. Which you are.” 

“I’ve got so much work to catch up on. I can’t afford to sleep, between doing that and looking after Poppy.” Gavin sighed. 

“Look, we don’t have to make any decisions right now. You’ve got all weekend to relax and settle her in here.” Geoff said. 

“Mum suggested spend some time with her, a few weeks maybe. Then Day Nurseries, like a few days a week, so I can balance work and home.” Gavin suggested.

“Gav, I’m telling you as your boss, don’t worry about it.” Geoff stated.

Gavin nodded, and the conversation soon turned to other topics. The trio eventually arrived home, and found Griffon rushing out to them. She kissed Gavin on the cheek, pulling him into a big hug. Geoff and Gavin pulled the two suitcases out of the car, and Griffon reached into the car and unbuckled Poppy. She carried her seat into the house, and they all sat down in the lounge. They were home. 

“How was the flight?” Griffon asked, as they all watched a sleeping Poppy. 

“It was okay. A little turbulent, but there’s some stormy weather in England, so it was expected.” Gavin shrugged. “She cried a little but fell back asleep soon after.”

“You’re like a proper dad already, I’m so proud of you, honey.” Griffon grinned. 

“I’m not. Mum taught me most of it.” Gavin said, smiling slightly. “You would have found it hilarious watching me try and change her nappy for the first time.” 

“Nappy?” Geoff questioned. 

“They’re diapers here, buddy, you’ll probably have to get used to the name.” Griffon explained.

“Where’s Mill?” Gavin asked, noticing the absence of the energetic eight year old. 

“She’s staying with my Mom tonight. They haven’t seen her for a while and we thought it would be best to let you rest for a night.” Griffon explained. 

“Thank you.” Gavin said gratefully. 

“Why don’t you go and grab a shower, sweetie. We’ve put Millie’s old crib in your room, so Poppy can sleep there.” Griffon said, and Gavin thanked her. 

Gavin got up and headed out into his house at the back. He had a large bedroom and a bathroom in there, but it was all he had ever needed. It was a little tighter with the crib in there, but there was still enough room. Gavin unpacked his clothes, and got into the shower, feeling happy to be back home.

Meanwhile, in the lounge, Geoff and Griffon were chatting casually on the sofa, whilst keeping an eye on Poppy, who was still fast asleep. 

“Gav seems to be coping well.” Griffon noticed.

“Yeah, he is.” Geoff said. “He just needs to get used to it.”

“Does he know what he’s doing work-wise? He didn’t have any time to plan.” Griffon said sadly. 

“I told him it doesn’t matter right now. He mentioned something about spending a few weeks with her, and then having her in day nursery for a few days a week.” Geoff said. “I told him he doesn’t need to worry about that right now.”

“It was probably the best thing to say, though the day nursery plan isn’t bad.” Griffon noted.

They heard the back door open, and a clean, nice-smelling Gavin entered the house. He paused only to grab a glass of water, before heading into the lounge. He was just about to sit down when Poppy began to wake up. She was silent for a moment, then started to whimper. 

Griffon made a move to get her, but Geoff put his arm around her, stopping her. Geoff wanted to see how Gavin was interacting with his daughter. Griffon sat back down as Gavin scooped Poppy up into his arms. He began to rock her back and forth gently.

“Hello, gorgeous.” He said, his british accent pronounced. “How are you, my beautiful little girl?”

She gurgled at him, and he laughed. “Are we a little grumpy? I think it’s time for your feed.” Gavin went to take her with him, but realised he wouldn’t be able to do both. 

“Sorry to be a pain, can you hold her for a second?” Gavin asked Griffon.

“Don’t be silly, of course I will.” Griffon laughed. 

She took the baby girl into her arms, and began pulling faces at Poppy, which fascinated the infant, who was watching the woman avidly. Gavin made his daughter’s bottle as quickly as he could, and headed back to watch Griffon entertaining her. He thanked Griffon and fed Poppy carefully, winding her afterwards.

“Hm, I thought she’d need changing by now.” Gavin said.

“Oh, she started to cry when you were in the shower so I changed her for you hon.” Griffon explained. 

“You should have just called me, I didn’t want to have to be a problem.” Gavin said, thanking her anyway.

“Gav, we’re here to help. We know it’s not going to be easy, but if we weren’t prepared to help you then we would have just kicked you out.” Griffon insisted.

“Thanks.” Gavin said smiling. 

Gavin fumbled around, and eventually found her dummy in the little bag by her car seat. He popped it in, and watched with her in his arms as she sucked on it, slowly falling asleep whilst being cradled in Gavin’s arms. 

“Go and put her in the cot, and get some sleep.” Griffon said. “I’ll come and wake you when it’s time for supper.” 

“Are you-“ Gavin started, but looked at Griffon’s firm expression and nodded.

He stood up, making sure not to wake Poppy, and headed off to his house. He put her in the cot, tucked the blankets up around her, and lay down on the bed, falling asleep within seconds, fully clothed and on top of the blankets. This parenting stuff was hard.


	5. Turning To Mush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin takes Poppy into work to meet the guys.

It had been five days since Gavin returned to America with Poppy, and he had managed to get her on his Visa, so she could stay with him. Gavin was a British citizen still, and he wanted Poppy to remain the same way. She was also on his insurance as she was just an infant.

Most of all, Gavin was settling into fatherhood. Sure, it was difficult, especially when Poppy wouldn’t stop crying, but he’d settled in nicely, and was enjoying it. He didn’t quite enjoy the 2am night feeds, but hey, you can’t ask for everything. 

He had been with Poppy for nearly two weeks, and she was over 6 weeks old now, though she was still tiny compared to Gavin. They had all been worried how Millie would react to  
Gavin, as he had always paid the most attention to her, but Millie loved Poppy. He knew how to drive, he had learnt in England, but he had never been comfortable driving in America. Now that he had Poppy, however, he decided that it was time.

He had sold his car in England, and was now looking for a car in Austin. For now, though, he was relying on Geoff, which he wasn’t too happy about, though Geoff didn’t seem to mind. True to their word, Gavin had been assisted at shopping by Griffon, and Poppy now had everything she needed for now. 

He looked over to his now-content baby daughter, who was in the midst of awaking. Gavin was enjoying the few moments of peace, though he never thought that he would enjoy peace and quiet. 

Griffon was taking Millie to the dentist later and dropping her off for school after, so she told Gavin she’d drop him off at work if he wanted to go visit the guys. Gavin readily agreed. They’d also bought a spare carseat to keep in Griffon’s car, so Poppy could be moved from one to the other. 

Gavin set Poppy with a dummy in his mouth, and took a quick shower – he’d adapted to taking a lot less time in the shower. He dressed into a pair of jeans and a ‘People Like Grapes’ t-shirt, with some converse. Gavin’s usual attire. Now it was time to dress his baby. He had attempted many times to dress Poppy, most of them resulting in disaster. It wasn’t putting the clothes on that was the problem – it was picking them. Griffon had just laughed whenever he saw them, and changed her into something else. However, when he dressed Poppy in a dinosaur Babygro, complete with hood and spikes, he knew that he was onto a winner. 

He made sure that her bottle, her milk powder, some changing equipment and several spare dummies were in the bag that he carried around with him. He picked her up out of her crib, and carried her in his arms. 

He went into the kitchen, where Griffon was drinking a cup of coffee, and Millie was sitting at the table eating her breakfast. Gavin kissed her forehead as he said good morning, and sat down at the table, still holding Poppy in his arms. Griffon disappeared whilst Gavin was feeding Poppy, and by the time he finished she returned, holding the rocker that  
Gavin had ordered a few days ago. 

“Came this morning.” Griffon announced.

Gavin thanked her, and got Poppy seated into it. She lay there quite happily as the three enjoyed a normal breakfast.

Gavin had just finished his cup of coffee when Griffon announced that it was time to go. Millie started to get upset.

“I hate the dentist.” She whined, giving Griffon the puppy-dog face.

“You’ve got to go, Mills.” Griffon replied, shaking her head.

“Gav?” Millie asked, looking hopefully at him. 

“Your mum is right, kiddo. However, if you’re good at the dentist, I’ll get you a lollipop on my way home.” Gavin said.

“Okay.” Millie agreed.

Griffon was relieved that Millie had accepted Gavin’s bribe, and the four set off. Gavin sat in the back with Poppy, who was currently fast asleep. It amazed Gavin just how much  
young babies sleep in the daytime – it was just a shame they didn’t do it so much in the night. 

Griffon pulled up outside the Rooster Teeth building, and Gavin quickly got out, telling them both to have a good day. He took Poppy’s car seat firmly into his hands, before  
pulling out the handle. He walked over to the building that he hadn’t set foot in for two weeks. 

The last time he walked through those doors he didn’t know he was a father. Now he was taking his six week old daughter in with him. He walked up to the front desk, to be greeted by the smiling face of Kara. She gave him a quick hug, and then bent down to see Poppy. She cooed at her. 

“Do the guys know you’re coming in?” Kara asked.

“No, Geoff said we’d keep it as a surprise.” Gavin replied, smiling. 

“She’s so cute, Gav.” Kara said. “Though I bet she’s not as cute at three in the morning.”

“Eh, she’s a pleb sometimes, but you gotta love her.” Gavin chuckled.

Gavin chatted with Kara and a few others he bumped into for a few minutes, before dismissing himself, taking the car seat back from Kara’s adoring hands and heading down to the office. 

The door was closed, so Gavin pushed it open, and saw all of his friends hard at work. They didn’t look up as he stepped in. 

“Shall I come back later?” Gavin asked.

The sound of a British accent brought the men out of their work. They turned to see the young lad, looking mildly tired but at the same time glowing. In his left hand was a car seat, which held a young baby. They all laughed and came towards him, each of them giving him a quick hug in turn. He sat down at his desk, placing the car seat on the floor next to him. 

“How have you been, Gav?” Jack asked. 

“I’m really good, Jack.” Gavin replied, a true smile spreading across his face.

“You like being a parent then?” Ryan chuckled.

“It’s hard.” Gavin admitted. “But fun.” 

“I know, right?” Ryan laughed, and Ray suddenly groaned. 

“God, Gavin, don’t turn as crazy as Ryan now you’ve got a kid.” Ray begged. 

“No worries, guys, the Mad King can never be challenged.” Gavin laughed.

Poppy suddenly awoke, and started to cry. The boys watched Gavin carefully, wanting to know how he reacted. Gavin spun his chair around, and reached down, unbuckling Poppy from her seat. He picked her up in his arms, and found that her dummy had simply fell out when she woke up. He cuddled her, popping her dummy back into her mouth. Gavin rocked her back and forth, and she quickly stopped crying, her eyes fixed on Gavin. 

“You want to say hello to the other guys?” Gavin asked, though Poppy simply kept her eyes focused on her dad. 

Gavin stood up, clutching Poppy tightly. As he handed her to Ray, the Puerto Rican saw how much his daughter looked like him. Her tan skin, her green eyes, her facial structure –  
she was very alike to Gavin, and she was also incredibly cute. 

“I’m Uncle Ray.” Ray said. “Imma buy you lots of roses, so you’ll grow up nice and sweet.” 

Ray handed her over to Jack, who made a small joke about how the young baby luckily didn’t have her father’s nose. Jack gave her to Ryan, who began rocking her back and forth, which seemed to be habit from holding his own children. He began to move his finger back and forth, which Poppy found highly fascinating, even though she couldn’t follow his finger properly. 

Ryan eventually handed Poppy over to Michael, who had been waiting patiently for her. Gavin was worried about Michael liking Poppy, after all, Michael was his best friend. However, as soon as Michael took Poppy into his arms, Gavin knew there was nothing to worry about. Poppy instantly reached up, as she had with Ryan, and made a swipe at Michael’s glasses. Gavin reached out to stop her, but Geoff held him back, saying that it was fine. They all watched as Michael cooed at Poppy, wondering where RageQuit had gone.

“It’s official.” Kara said, standing in the doorway with Barbara. “Poppy Free has turned you to mush.”

“We should take a picture.” Geoff stated. “It can be your way of introducing her to the fans.” 

“Good idea.” Gavin agreed.

Gavin handed Barbara his phone, and took Poppy from Michael. Holding her in his arms, the other guys crowded around, all smiling, and Barb took the picture. Gavin smiled as he saw it, and whilst Lindsay took her turn holding Poppy, Gavin uploaded it to Twitter, under the caption, ‘Sorry I’ve been in England, but I’ve brought back a present for the AH Crew – Poppy Free!’ He tweeted it and locked his phone, turning back to his friends. Gavin couldn’t have been any happier in that moment.


	6. The Podcast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara's sick, so Gavin replaces her on the Podcast.

The fans had gone absolutely mental, as predicted. Tweets had been coming through by the hundreds every hour, some wondering who the mother was, others just congratulating Gavin and proclaiming how cute they all were. 

Gavin had finally found a car, and although he was still reluctant to drive it (He didn’t like that Americans drove on the wrong side of the road), he knew that it was unfair to expect Geoff to keep running him around. He was still getting used to driving in America, though. 

Gavin had been back at work for one week, having taken a month off in the end. He was well and truly attached to Poppy, and it had been hard to leave her in the Day Nursery. She seemed to enjoy it, though. 

Gavin got out of the shower, knowing that Poppy was still fast asleep. She was 10 Weeks Old now, and had developed so much. She was sleeping for several hours at a time, only waking up once a night sometimes, though she was awake much more in the daytime. She had been babbling in no language whatsoever, and Gavin often found himself having conversations with her with absolutely no meaning. He had read that it was good to talk to the baby as much as possible. 

He quickly threw on a ‘People Like Grapes’ t-shirt and a pair of jeans, along with some converse. He attempted to tame his hair, being mildly successful for once. By this time, Poppy was awake. Gavin simply changed her nappy, or ‘diaper’ as Geoff kept telling him it was called. She was quickly given her bottle, and was quite happy.

Gavin left his little house out back and carried Poppy into the house. It was empty, as everyone was at work/school. He pulled her play mat out from the corner, and lay Poppy on top of it. She tried to reach up to the mobile above it, keeping herself occupying and simultaneously amusing Gavin greatly. 

He opened up his MacBook, reading through his emails. Just as he finished, he noticed a new email had come through, from Gus. He opened it up. 

‘Gav, Kara’s sick and dropped out of the Podcast today. Can you step in, maybe bring Poppy if you’re comfortable? Fans would love it. –Gus’

Gavin considered it for a moment. While Poppy was young, Gavin had decided it was not a problem for her to have a little media coverage. Much alike to Geoff, his only request was that she be kept out of any fanfiction that was written, until she was old enough to make her own decisions, anyway. Gavin quickly replied. 

‘Yeah, okay, I’ll bring her down. What time? -Gav’

Poppy had eventually gotten bored, and began to babble, rolling onto her tummy so that she could see Gavin. He grinned and picked her up in one big swoop, making the young baby squeal in delight. He began to tickle her stomach, which she loved. He was brought out of his entertainment duties by a loud chime, indicating that Gus had replied. 

‘Around 12? If she gets bored or upset, Barb says she’ll step in. See you there. –Gus’

Gavin looked down at the baby girl who was laying in his arms. He grinned at her. “Well, I guess we better get you changed, young lady.” 

Poppy gurgled at the sound of her Father’s voice, though of course, she had no idea what he had said. Gavin kept a tight grip on her as he headed back out to his little house. He deliberated for a moment whilst choosing what Poppy should wear. 

He eventually decided on his favourite item of hers, a creeper-print onesie (with feet) that Michael had bought for her. Michael had come over a lot, and Poppy adored him, always giving him a big smile whenever he showed up. 

Once Poppy was dressed as a baby creeper, Gavin strapped her into her carseat, and made sure she was secure in the car. He double checked he had everything he needed, and locked the house before driving to the office. 

He quickly parked his car, which was a little blue ford KA. It wasn’t a sports car, and Gavin could have afforded better, but what was the point in wasting money? It had two seats in the front for him and Poppy, and two slightly cramped seats in the back that could be accessed by pulling down the front seats, should anyone need a lift. 

He took Poppy’s car seat into his hands, carrying it by the handle, as usual. He entered the reception, seeing the front being manned by an intern rather than Kara. He greeted her, recalling that her name was Michelle, and she grinned back at him. 

Gavin was about to head up to the Podcast studio when he saw the Achievement Hunter office come into view. He decided to pay the guys a visit. He pushed open the door to see Jack filming an AHWU for next week. Everyone turned to grin at him, and Jack directed the camera at him. 

“Hey guys!” Gavin said, grinning at the camera. “Is Jack boring the pants off you?”

Gavin grinned brighter at the playful glare Jack sent him, and he placed Poppy’s car seat on his desk, sitting down on his chair. Jack finished off his recording, and shut off the  
camera.

“Whatcha doing here, Gavino? You’re not in today.” Michael asked. 

“Kara’s sick, and Gus asked me to fill in for the Podcast. He wanted Poppy to be in it too. The fans love her.” Gavin explained. “I thought I’d come see you before I headed up.”

“How are you?” Ryan asked. 

“I’m tippy-toppers, Rye-bread.” Gavin replied, smiling honestly. “Pop’s sleeping a lot better through the night. Griffon was helping me set her up a routine. Said it helped with Mill.” 

“Sleepless nights no more?” Ray asked. “X-Ray and Vav need to fight some crime, man.” 

“Not quite, Raymundo. Almost.” Gavin grinned. 

Poppy had begun to entertain herself by reaching out and grabbing Jack’s beard. He played along, and the two quickly started up a game of peek-a-boo, which Poppy found fascinating. Gavin tore his gaze away, to find the others watching them fondly. 

“God, you’re changed people.” Gavin teased.

“You’re the changed one mate.” Geoff chuckled. “You’re sensible.” 

“No he’s not. He’ll do the same dumb shit in the Let’s Play GTA tomorrow, and he’ll ask the same stupid questions on the Podcast.” Michael chuckled. “I’m on that today, by the  
way.”

“Ah, awesome! TEAM NICE DYNAMITE!” Gavin shouted. 

He quickly quietened down when Poppy looked startled, but breathed a sigh of relief when her attention became focused on Jack once more, now aided by Ray. 

“It’s amazing how comfortable she is around us all.” Geoff stated. “I mean, she’s around me and you and Grif all the time.”

“I’m trying to get her used to you guys.” Gavin shrugged. “And the office. She likes it here, anyway, which is a good thing.” 

“Come on, Gavvers, it’s time for Podcast.” Michael said. 

“Coming, Boi.” Gavin grinned. 

Ryan and Jack stepped away from Poppy, and Gavin checked she was fine before picking up the car seat once more. As he left with Michael, the remaining men struck up a hasty conversation. 

“He’s so much more… mature.” Ryan said, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“Only when Poppy is around. If she’s sleeping in her crib or at Day Nursery, he’s the same asshole.” Geoff laughed.

“He is… coping, isn’t he?” Jack asked, frowning. 

“I don’t think he was at first.” Geoff answered honestly. “But he’s doing well now. It’s getting more natural for him.” 

Elsewhere, Gavin grabbed a bottle of water in place of the usual beer, and plopped himself down on the sofa. Michael sat down on the other side of the sofa. Burnie sat in his chair, typing on his laptop. He looked up briefly to greet Team Nice Dynamite and their youngest recruit. 

As Gavin took a sip of his water, Poppy began to get a bit restless, deciding that she no longer wanted to be in her car seat. Gavin put his water down after securing the top, and unbuckled her. He took Poppy into his arms, lifting her up into his lap. The 10 week old was able to sit for short periods of time with the aid of Gavin, and the Brit found himself  
being intensely proud of her. 

Gus, Michael, Gavin and Burnie chatted for a few minutes before the Podcast began. Gus started by reading out his advertisements, and the cameras were focused on them instantly. Gavin panicked for a second, wondering how Poppy would react to the cameras, but she didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered by them. 

“Hey, so on today’s Podcast, we’ve got myself, Michael Jones, Burnie Burns, Gavin Free and a very special Achievement Hunter, Poppy Free.” Gus announced. 

“So, is Poppy an actual Achievement Hunter then?” Burnie asked.

“I don’t know, what’dya think, boi?” Gavin answered, looking to Michael. 

“Fuck yeah, Poppy’s one of us.” Michael answered, and Gavin smiled. 

“She’s an official Achievement Hunter – I just steal her wages.” Gavin laughed. “No, really, she’s one of the team.” 

“Does she do Let’s Play’s?” Gus asked. 

“No, you donut, she’s ten weeks old. How would she do Let’s Plays?” Gavin replied, and they all started to laugh. 

“What I actually meant was, does she sit in on them?” Gus corrected.

“No, she just visits the office. She’s not allowed to play the games, she beats them all. Ray lives in fear of her taking his crown.” Gavin joked. 

The conversation continued, and by the hour mark, Poppy had begun to cry. Gavin quickly excused himself, heading off-camera to a little changing area they had set up for this purpose. Gavin found that it was just time for her feed, and quickly fed and winded her. He stayed with her for around ten minutes, calming her down. 

Gavin was heading back to the Podcast when he realised that she had in fact fallen asleep. Swearing under his breath, he handed Poppy to Barb, and dashed on-camera, grabbing the car seat before hurrying back off-camera. He lay Poppy carefully into the seat, and wondered what he could do with her. It would be too noisy to keep her here. 

He jogged down to the AH office, Poppy’s seat in hand, and knocked on the door. Thankfully, they had finished all the recording they had to do that day. 

“Guys, can you do me a favour?” Gavin asked. 

“Sure.” Ryan replied. 

“Can you look after Pops? She’s fell asleep and don’t want to wake her.” Gavin sighed. 

“Don’t worry, Vav, X-Ray will look after Popsicle.” Ray chuckled.

“Is that her name now?” Jack asked, and both of the lads nodded. 

“Thanks. I’ll come check on her in a bit.” Gavin said.

“She’ll be fine, Gavin, now fuck off back to the Podcast.” Geoff replied.

Gavin was still hesitant to leave her, but knew that she was in safe hands. Geoff and Ryan had kids, and Ray and Jack weren’t going to cause harm to her. Gavin ran back to the Podcast studio, giving a quick, thumbs up to Barb before dashing back on-camera. He took his seat next to Michael, and gulped down some more water.

“Gav?” Gus asked. 

“Sorry, guys, but I’m afraid her highness has fell asleep and is currently under the care of X-Ray.” Gavin chuckled. 

He quickly settled back into the Podcast. When Gus did the Advertisments again, Michael turned to Gavin. 

“What happened with Pop?” He asked.

“Oh, she was hungry, and after I fed her she fell asleep, and I didn’t want to wake her. The guys are keeping an eye on her.” Gavin replied. 

“You want a beer, Gav?” Burnie asked. 

“No thanks, I’m fine with my water.” Gavin replied. 

“So, Gav, we’ve been talking about strange places and creepy people in them.” Gus resumed. 

“Oh, I love the stuff in sketchy places that people offer you. Like, when we were in Amsterdam, there’d be a guy just going ‘crack? Crack?’” Gavin said, and the others laughed. 

“What did you say?” Gus asked. 

“I just went ‘nah’.” Gavin shrugged, and the others laughed, whilst Burnie took the opportunity to mock him, sending the others into further laughter. 

“Did you do it politely?” Gus asked. 

“No, I just said no.” Gavin frowned. “How are you supposed to do it politely?” 

“Just be like, oh you know, I’m sorry, I’ve got another crack guy, had him for three years, there’s a bit of a relationship going on.” Michael joked, and they started laughing once more. 

Gavin felt at home. His sleep was becoming more and more frequent, he had all the help he needed, his job was still in-tact, he could drive, and he had a good set of friends who were supportive and could make him laugh over the silliest things. He was happy.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Gavin's Little Man](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2222904) by [IcyShyGuy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyShyGuy/pseuds/IcyShyGuy)




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